Panini America Inks Top NFL Draft Prospect And Former Penn State Star Running Back Saquon Barkley To Exclusive Agreement For Trading Cards, Memorabilia

IRVING, Texas, March 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Panini America, the world's largest licensed sports and entertainment collectibles company, announced today that it has reached an exclusive agreement with former Penn State University running back Saquon Barkley for trading cards and memorabilia. The exclusive partnership, facilitated through negotiations with Roc Nation Sports, makes Barkley the fourth NFL player to become an exclusive member of Panini Authentic, the memorabilia division of Panini America, joining Andrew Luck, Dez Bryant and Leonard Fournette.

Barkley's first licensed trading cards ? honoring his spectacular performance at the NFL Scouting Combine ? sold out within hours of releasing on the Panini Instant on-demand platform earlier this month. Barkley will be featured prominently throughout Panini America's 2018 NFL product line and his autographed memorabilia will be available exclusively through Panini Authentic.

"Saquon Barkley is a franchise-type talent that promises to be one of the first players selected in the upcoming 2018 NFL Draft. We're thrilled to partner with him in such a meaningful way as he begins his NFL career," said Mark Warsop, Panini America CEO. "Fans and collectors almost instantly devoured his first Panini America trading cards on the Panini Instant platform. That demand is certain to increase throughout his rookie season. Barkley will absolutely be a key driver for our NFL business in 2018." 

"Saquon is a special talent with unprecedented abilities on and off the football field," said Michael Yormark, President & Chief of Branding and Strategy at Roc Nation Sports. "Panini and Roc Nation Sports have a very special relationship and this partnership is yet another example of that. We are thrilled to have them behind Saquon as he begins his NFL journey."

During a spectacular career at Penn State, Barkley rushed for more than 3,800 yards and 43 touchdowns. He also caught 102 passes for 1,195 yards and eight more touchdowns. He's projected by many experts to be a top-10 pick and the first running back selected in the upcoming 2018 NFL Draft.

ABOUT PANINI:
The Panini Group, established more than 50 years ago in Modena, Italy, has subsidiaries throughout Europe, Latin America and the United States.  Panini is the world leader in officially licensed collectibles and is the most significant publisher of collectibles in the U.S., with official licenses for NFL, NFLPA, NBA, MLBPA, NHL, NHLPA, College, FIFA, MLBPA, Disney, and other key properties from many other licensors. Panini is also the exclusive trading card and sticker partner of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Pop Warner Little Scholars, Inc. Panini has distribution channels in more than 100 countries and employs a staff of over 800. For more information visit us at www.paniniamerica.net, www.paninigroup.com or http://blog.paniniamerica.net/. You can also follow Panini America on social media platforms Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.

Media Contact:  
Tracy Hackler, Panini America
214-552-3475
[email protected]

SOURCE Panini America